[WEB4LIB] Amazon.com Added Value Features and Functionalities for the

[Professional Resources]

I Have been receiving your mail along with numerous irrelevant ones without my authorization. 
Should it be an error, you are invited to clear the problem at your side or at your provider's by removing my address from your list, otherwise I would be compelled to daily flood your box with 1500 silly messages from our 245 different addresses throughout the world until you stop flooding ours.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gerry Mckiernan 
  To: Multiple recipients of list 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2000 11:40 PM
  Subject: [WEB4LIB] Amazon.com Added Value Features and Functionalities for the


     _Amazon.com Added Value Features and Functionalities for the OPAC_

       In response to my posting  titled "The 'Commercialized' Library"
  which addressed the issue of linking to Amazon.com (or barnesandnoble.com) records from a user guide that I currently am preparing, a list member raised the issue of the backlash that may come from local businesses if a library did in fact link to such records within its OPAC.

      I responded to the list member indicating that I believe that there *might* be  a beneficial effect in that the additional descriptive and evaluative information might encourage the individual to borrow the item from the local library or to buy it from the local book store, music store, etc.

     On the other hand, I think that the 'value-added' features and functionalities found in such services as Amazon.com should cause
  libraries to consider the effectiveness of their OPACs in addressing user needs.  Access to descriptive and user reviews is just one function that could significantly  improve OPACs. Other helpful features that the 'Value-Added OPAC 'could have would be such Amazon.com 'commercialized' features as

                an initial ranked list of the most heavily borrowed books, 
                a chronological listing of results
                the option of displaying books by user rating 
                a 'patrons who borrowed this book also borrowed  ....' feature
               a  'patrons who borrowed  titles by Author A also bought titles by                          
                   Authors X, Y, and  Z
               a 'Look for similar books by subject' / Browse for Books in
                  [Full listing of associates subject headings]
                a Search for books by subject with a listings of headings and 
                 associated check-off boxes

        Impossible? Perhaps, but ....
  [If there are OPACs that have such functionality, I'd liike to include them in
  Onion Patch(sm), my clearinghouse devoted to New Age OPACs
  http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/Onion.htm ]

       As Always, Any and All reactions, comments, criticisms, cosmic insights, contributions, etc. etc. are Most Welcome!

  /Gerry McKiernan
  Commercialized Librarian
  Iowa State University
  Ames IA 50011

  gerrymck at iastate.edu 

    "The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Duplicate the Functionality of              
                                  Sites Like Amazon.com"
                                            With Apologies (Again) to Alan Kay


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